Some services in Brazil combine curettage of the nail matrix with phenolization in the treatment of ingrown nails, with the objective of further increasing efficacy. The objective of this research was to compare the cure rates between the phenolization technique and phenolization associated with nail matrix curettage. A retrospective study was done which included 271 cases. There was only a 5% recurrence rate for the phenolization procedure, compared with 7.7% for combined phenolization/nail matrix curettage. There was no statistically significant difference between the two techniques, which indicated that there is no need for curettage of the nail matrix. Phenolization worked even for level III disease.